


My fondness for you knows no bounds

by mimosa (Error305_Proxy)



Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Declarations Of Love, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-26
Updated: 2013-05-26
Packaged: 2017-12-13 00:22:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/817764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Error305_Proxy/pseuds/mimosa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Arthur doesn't really quite know how to let himself be loved.</p>
            </blockquote>





	My fondness for you knows no bounds

Arthur doesn't think he's ever been in love before. In all actuality, Arthur doesn't think anybody has ever loved him before, and he's a little saddened by the knowledge, but has generally come to accept it.

Arthur grew up in an orphanage. As a child he was too quiet and too....average to be adopted, as a teen he was all anger and sharp edges, and even if there were the rare occasions when the couples wanted an older child, they never gave him a second look. Arthur aged out of the system at 18, and has been on his own ever since.

Arthur has had a total of 2 girlfriends and 1 boyfriend before Eames, and calling them that may be quite a generous use of the terms. It may be more apt to say that Arthur has been involved in two one-night stands, and one brief casual relationship.

Mal took to Arthur like he was a part of her family, and Dom accepted Arthur easily just as another thing that came with loving Mal. Just when Arthur was getting used to not tensing up every time Mal hugged him, limbo happened and everything went to hell. And after that Arthur couldn't blame Dom for thinking of anyone else but his kids. It was, after all, not as if Arthur had really been a part of their family. Blood is thicker than water, as they say (and also apparently thicker than any friendship built based upon Arthur willing to sacrifice a whole lot for Dom, though Arthur doesn't mind because he thinks Mal may have started to love him a little as a little brother, though he can't quite be sure). After inception, Arthur knows Dom will always be grateful towards Arthur, but he doesn't think the man has any energy left for loving anyone except his kids, even a friend. Arthur quietly accepts that as he does with most things, and moves on to the next job.

 Arthur had friends, has friends. He can pull out his phone at any moment's notice and call upon a favor or two on probably anyone in his contact list (there are 68 contacts on his phone currently, but he has an extensive list of over 140 contacts backed up in a safe location) and they'd be more than happy to oblige. Though Arthur doesn't think any of them actually love him.

Until Eames happened. Eames happened like a wonderful accident and Arthur isn't sure what to do with himself. He feels as though he's constantly caught in a tornado and all he can do is try to keep still and not hurt himself, or anyone around him.

When Arthur and Eames first start dating (actually, it was on their first date), Arthur sighs and asks, "So this is a real thing then."

"Check your totem, love." Eames replies with a wolfish grin, "This is as real as it gets."

Arthur frowns a little and says in the same as when he gives Eames details about their mark, "This is going to be quite difficult for you."

"I imagine I'd do just fine." Eames replies with his usual bout of confidence.

As always, Arthur had been right. Though of course, Eames had not been wrong.

They've been dating for four months, and Eames is never stingy with his affection. He calls Arthur pet names and holds his hand as they walk down the street and feeds Arthur food and says things like "But darling, you absolutely must try this, this is fantastic." as if Arthur has never had fish and chips before. Eames smiles at Arthur for no reason and kisses him whenever he wants to (which is quite often), he cooks amazing three course meals for the two of them and brings Arthur back little trinkets whenever he goes on a job that requires international travel for more than 2 weeks.

Arthur doesn't quite know what to do with Eames. He's 90% sure that this is what being loved feels like, but Eames has never said the words and Arthur thinks that there's a chance this is what you do when you're in a proper relationship regardless of love or not.

Arthur wants to ask Eames, but he's already asked once and he thinks it'll be quite gauche to ask again. The first time was when they've been dating for a week, the two of them had just finished a rather lovely round of sex and had been cuddling on the bed. Eames had something mildly amusing and Arthur rolled his eyes and grinned a little.

"Eames, do you love me?" Arthur asks softly, and had felt Eames' body go tense.

"Not quite yet darling," Eames replies with an uneasy smile, "but I am quite fond of you."

"Good." Arthur nods. He's not disappointed, hadn't quite been sure why he asked the question in the first place, as he's sure he doesn't quite love Eames yet either, "I'm quite fond of you too."

Eames makes him dinner (because even though Arthur is good at cooking, he doesn't really enjoy the process, so Eames takes over in the kitchen most of the time) and knows that Arthur doesn't like celery or carrots (just the normal sized ones, Arthur very much likes mini carrots dipped in hummus). Eames buys Arthur kiwis out of season because he knows Arthur likes them even though Eames himself is allergic to the fuzz and comes back from the grocery store scratching his hands.

Arthur mentions this to the pharmacist and asks for an some kind of anti-allergy ointment, and gets a warm smile and an "aw, he must really love you." along with instructions on which brand to get and how to use it.

"Thanks" Arthur says as he pays for the little tube of some cream or other that is supposed to make the itchy rash go away quicker, "I love him quite a bit."

He doesn't allow himself to stop and think those words over until he gets home. Eames is away on a job and Arthur takes the rest of the afternoon off from researching his next mark and just sits on the couch (sofa) to think.

At 5:49pm, a rather unremarkable on a rather unremarkable day, Arthur comes to the realization that he loves Eames, and that doesn't change whether Eames loves him or not.

Satisfied with this knowledge, Arthur makes himself dinner. He even hums a little as he cooks, and imagines himself telling Eames this when he comes back in two days from the job in Dublin. Arthur is not quite sure how Eames will take the news, but he think he himself would be quite happy to know that somebody loved him, and Eames can't react all that much differently.

Arthur is, as usual, correct on the subject.

Arthur tells Eames he loves him over dinner. Eames has decided he's had enough of Shepherd's pie and various potatoes, and takes Arthur out for sushi on the night he comes back. Arthur finishes eating a California roll, and just as Eames picks up the shrimp tempura, Arthur says "I've decided that I love you, Mr. Eames.".

Eames drops the tempura and stares at Arthur for a second before grinning like a complete idiot.

"Have you really?" Eames asks in such a tone that suggests he thinks the situation is quite amusing. "When did this happen?"

"Two days ago." Arthur says, "Do you object to this?"

"To your decision that you love me? Of course not darling." Eames grins and licks his lips, "I'd only been waiting to see when you'd come to that decision, and well, I didn't want to say anything before because I didn't want influenced your decision-making process...."

"Say what?" Arthur asks as Eames trails off.

"That I love you, of course." Eames says in a tone that screams _Don't be daft, what else could it be?_

"You love me?" Arthur frowns a little, the same way he had when Eames first asked him to dinner. "Do you really?"

"Do you not feel loved, darling?" Eames pouts, "I must be doing a poor job of showing you then."

"I feel..." Arthur pauses at this. He wants to say he feels loved, because he thinks he does. But he's never been loved before, and he doesn't quite know what it's supposed to feel like. "I'm quite happy, if that's what you're asking."

"I suppose." Eames shrugs, and then goes back to grinning, "I love you Arthur, I have for quite some time, just so you know."

"I thought you were just fond of me." Arthur gives Eames one of his smirks.

"Oh well yes, quite fond." Eames nods, "and I love you too. They're not exactly mutually exclusive."

Arthur nods, and they finish their dinner with the comfortable banter that always seem to fall between the two. They pay for the bill, go home, and have sex again (Eames had refused to go out to any restaurants until he's had sex with Arthur at least once after coming back from a job, on this particular day they had had sex twice before going out for sushi). All in all, quite an unremarkable day.

Arthur thinks, as he's falling asleep in Eames' arms, that being loved is quite nice, and not at all over-rated like he had originally thought. He can't quite remember why he ever thought he could go through life without having been loved, specifically, without having been loved by Eames. It seems like such a silly notion now.

Eames tightens his hold on Arthur and mumbles something that vaguely resembles "I love you" in his sleep. Arthur allows himself a smile and closes his eyes. Quite nice indeed, to love and be loved.

 

**Author's Note:**

> This is an idea that for some reason has been bouncing in my mind for some time. I liked the notion that Arthur would just not know what to do with himself, not because he's emotionless or doesn't feel the same way or anything like that, just because he's never had the experience. 
> 
> I don't think it turned out exactly how I thought it would, I don't think I portrayed their interactions properly. But here you have it anyway.


End file.
